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For players, training camps are too long. For coaches, they’re not long enough.

Limited by the constraints of the CFL’s collective bargaining agreement, Mike Benevides admitted he would have preferred another two weeks of drills and practices in Kamloops to get the B.C. Lions to where he wanted them to be.

“There isn’t one specific area (that concerned him),” Benevides admitted. “It’s being more proficient at everything we do -- the small details. You’re always going to find faults. There’s a lot of warts. We’ve got a long road ahead of us.”

Warts?

Compound W -- general manager Wally Buono, player personnel director Neil McEvoy and his scouting staff -- would appear to have taken care of that.

While Benevides insists his team needs to be sharper, despite running roughshod over the Calgary Stampeders 37-13 in a preseason contest Friday night, he has no complaints about the quality of players recruited by Buono, McEvoy and Co.

Indeed, the Lions brought an extraordinary number of players to training camp -- 89 in total -- and most had a realistic chance of being considered for employment. Rookies such as draft pick T-Dre Player (who’ll start the season at left guard) and Josh Johnson, the roster replacement for departed nickelback Korey Banks, stood out from the first day of camp.

Others, such as rookie halfback T.J. Lee, performed at their best when the lights came on.

Lee, from Eastern Washington, the same school that produced CFL all-star half Ryan Phillips, took advantage of some atrocious quarterbacking by the Stampeders Friday night with two interceptions. His second, on an errant throw from Drew Tate, he ran back 15 yards to the end zone. Lee had two more close calls on knockdowns which easily could have turned his evening into a four-pick night.

Defensive back Torri Williams (four tackles, a sack, forced fumble and recovery against the Stampeders), defensive end Alex Bazzie and wide receiver Bryan Burnham are three more examples of a wide-ranging recruiting search that has netted more ripe fruit.

Undrafted receiver Stephen Adekolu from Bishop’s and defensive lineman David Menard, a fourth-round pick from the University of Montreal, are first-year players from the CIS ranks who showed they can play -- right away, if they had to.

“It was eye-opening for me to see how good these (CIS) guys could be right from the start,” agreed guest coach Carl Brennan, the offensive line coach of the Vanier Cup champion Laval Rouge et Or. “It’s pretty impressive. David Menard has progressed from the first day of camp as much as anyone.” (Menard had a sack and two tackles against the Stampeders).

It was something of a miracle, thought Benevides, to see his quarterback depth go from one player who could make a difference -- Travis Lulay -- to two and perhaps three, with Kevin Glenn and John Beck now part of the equation.

Glenn, who’ll likely start the season because of Lulay’s shoulder soreness -- was on fire against his former team, throwing for 173 yards and a touchdown against the Stamps. He failed to connect on only four of his 21 passes.

Coaches always want more of everything -- more prep time, more commitment from their players, more players, period -- and Benevides was concerned that it might not be possible to keep all the of talent he saw in Kamloops.

But when the latest round of mandated roster cuts went down Saturday, the Lions looked to have found ways to keep most of the players they wanted.

“I really believe in our draft process. I relieve believe in our scouting department,” Benevides said. “Wally’s the best GM in the league for a reason. Wally and Neil (McEvoy) have done a brilliant job finding competition. There’ll be a lot of new numbers and faces fans will have to get used to. We’ll be taking baby steps early in the season. But, right now, we’re not even close to where I want us to be.”

Of the seven players released Saturday, the most noteworthy was Steven Shott, who kicked the game-winning, 38-yard field goal in a preseason game June 13 against the Eskimos.

The 24-year-old Shott, from North Vancouver, has been to four training camps with the Lions. He was released at this time last year, but re-signed with the club on August 16 and spent the remainder of the season on the practice roster. It could happen again.

Paul McCallum, going into his 22nd season and still kicking up a storm, had five field goals against the Stamps. Punter Ricky Schmitt averaged 43.5 yards on six tries and 61.6 yards on seven kickoffs.

“Ricky and Paul are the best in the league with what they do,” admitted Shott, who didn’t dress Friday night. “I’m just trying to learn from both of them, trying to get better each year. I’m still young. Realistically, they’re going to be the guys. That doesn’t mean I’m going to stop competing. Anything can happen at any point. I feel I have a long career ahead of me. And kickers do have long careers. You’ve just got to be patient.”

The Lions also released running back Guillaume Bourassa, a seventh-round draft pick from Laval, Canadian linebacker Tom Spoletini and four imports or “internationals” as the CFL prefers to call them: defensive back Tony Burnett, linebacker Korey Jones, defensive tackle Dyrell Porcha and offensive tackle R.J. Dill.

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